theatre language arts music classics science visual arts 2015-2016 Season Arts Access School Time Program Wizard of Oz May 5 & 6, 2016 11:00 a.m. Margaret Lesher Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts Presenting Field Trip Sponsor: Visionary Sponsor: Sharon Simpson Education Sponsor:
Welcome Dear Teachers, We have created the following study guide to help make your students theater experience as meaningful as possible. For many, it will be their first time viewing a live theatrical production. We have learned that when teachers discuss the upcoming arts performance with their students before and after the production, the experience is more significant and long-lasting. Our study guide provides pre and post performance discussion topics, as well as related activity sheets. These are just suggestions, so please feel free to create your own activities and areas for discussion. We hope you and your class enjoy the show! The Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) enriches the lives of thousands of East Bay residents every year by supporting programs at Walnut Creek s Lesher Center for the Arts (LCA). Through well-established business and community partnerships, fundraising and marketing expertise, we help arts organizations present professional-level theater, music and dance performances, visual arts exhibitions, and family events. Over the years, the Arts Access School Time Program has offered students and children in the community the opportunity to experience high-quality live performances and visual arts exhibits. These programs engage students in the artistic process, cultivating an appreciation for the arts by combining education and entertainment which together help to make the arts a vital part of our schools and community. Many of these programs offer funding for low-income schools, making the arts programs accessible to as many students as possible. Together with corporate, foundation and individual partners, the DRAA is able to make these opportunities possible. Table of Contents Preparing Your Students for a Field Trip to the Lesher Center for the Arts...3 Etiquette Guide...4 About the Producer...5 About the Performance...6 Educational Activities...6 Content Standards...15 About DRAA and the Arts Access School Time Program...17 Thank you to our Program Sponsors...17 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 2
Preparing Your Students for a Field Trip to the Lesher Center for the Arts Drop-off and Pick-Up: Buses should drop off at the Lesher Center for the Arts by pulling directly up to the curb in front of the theatre on Civic Drive or Locust Street in the designated loading zones, utilizing space efficiently so that the other buses can unload/load at the same time. As soon as students and chaperones have off-loaded safely, buses need to depart and find parking near the LCA to wait until the end of the performance. NO bus parking is available at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Loading zones are ONLY for loading and unloading. Ticket Information: Tickets are held by the DRAA and distributed to your group on the day of performance by a DRAA staff member who will be positioned in the area outside the front of the entrance to the theatre. Look for the brightly colored balloons!! Tickets should be distributed to each student prior to entering the theatre. Every attendee must have a ticket in hand before entering the theatre. All tickets are GENERAL SEATING, with no reserved seating available. If you have any special seating needs, please notify the DRAA prior to your performance so we can make the necessary arrangements. The Auditorium and Seating: The Lesher Center for the Arts features three distinct theatres providing a space tailored for every show and audience. Arrangements for accessibility seating options must be arranged for in advance. The Hofmann Theatre seats 785 patrons and is the largest of the three theatres in the Lesher Center for the Arts. It features a spacious main floor and a balcony featuring four sets of box seating areas. The theatre is used for large-scale productions including musicals, operas, ballets, symphonies and larger corporate functions. The Lesher Theatre seats 297 patrons and provides a more intimate space for mid-sized productions including musicals and plays. The Knight Stage seats 133 patrons and is a black-box theatre featuring a space tailored for smaller, more intimate productions and events. Seats can be added or removed as necessary. Lighting and Music The amount of lighting and music in the theatre will vary from time to time as the play or performance progresses. There may be times where it is almost completely dark. We are aware that this can be an exciting experience for some children and the level of energy can increase along with their 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 3
excitement. Music can also be used to create different impressions or communicate certain moods during the performance which encourages audience participation and spirit. At the Performance The live theatre performance is not pre-recorded with mistakes edited out. This makes it more exciting for an audience. Student s thoughtful attention and responses have a real effect and contribute to the quality of the experience. The audience gives energy to the performers who use that energy to give life to the performance! Theatre Etiquette Guide Going to a play is a special experience, one that can be remembered for a long time. Everyone in the audience has been looking forward to seeing the performance. There is a big difference in going to a theatre and to a movie. The actors are performing for you live onstage, and they can see and hear what goes on in the audience just as you can see and hear them. So, one behaves a little differently than when you are at the movies or at home watching TV. Some things to remember: Stay with your group at all times. Lights will dim just before a performance, and then go dark. Show your knowledge by sitting calmly. No talking or whispering during the performance. Laughter at appropriate times only. Keep body movements to a minimum. You can t get up and move around during the performance. Please use the bathroom or get a drink before seating for performance or at intermission ONLY. Show appreciation by clapping. The actors love to hear applause. This shows how much you enjoyed the performance. Don t leave your seat until the performers have taken their curtain call at the end. When the performance ends, wait patiently to exit. Be polite and attentive. Everyone in the theater is sharing the same experience and space. No taking of pictures or video recording during performance is allowed. TURN OFF ALL cell phones, pagers, beepers, alarms, anything that can disturb the production, actors and the audience members during the performance. 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 4
About the Producer The Fantasy Forum s Mission: The Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble is a non-profit organization of men and women who strive to entertain, educate and enrich families, and endeavor to present the highest form of entertainment to the young and young at heart. At Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble many of our audience members are able to sit right on the stage and interact directly with the performers. We produce four musicals at the Lesher Center for the Arts each year drawing up to 2,700 patrons to each production. Our performances are scheduled throughout the day and early evenings on weekends to accommodate patrons bringing families for their first live theatre experience. Many of our shows are also scheduled on Fridays to accommodate school groups. Once Upon A Time... we invited Jack Haley, the original Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, to come and see our production of The Wizard of Oz in May of 1978. He came and honored us with his presence and his wisdom. We were surprised to learn that our production of The Wizard of Oz was the first and only stage production that he had ever seen. We were delighted and excited by his reactions. He yelled out answers to questions along with all of the audience and he laughed, applauded and even stood up to become a haunted tree when Glinda, the good witch, asked the children to help create the forest. A lot of years and Fantasy Forum shows have passed since 1978 and through the encouragement of many people, Fantasy Forum has continued to grow. We have watched our audience members grow up and we fondly remember Jack Haley s words, When adults expose their children to quality theatre, such as Fantasy Forum, the children will develop a sense of worth for the arts and themselves. 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 5
STUDY GUIDE Dear Teacher, We have created the following study guide to help make your students theater experience with The Wizard of Oz as meaningful as possible. For many, it will be their first time viewing a live theatrical production. We have learned that when teachers discuss the play with their students before and after the production, the experience is more significant and long-lasting. Our study guide provides pre and post production discussion topics, as well as related activity sheets. These are just suggestions, so please feel free to create your own activities and areas for discussion. We hope you and your class enjoy the show! Background L. Frank Baum never imagined the impact The Wonderful Wizard of Oz would have on children s writing or the appeal the book would have to generations of readers. Although he wrote numerous books, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is easily his most enduring. Baum wanted to write a fairy tale that was American, not European, although he introduced elements of traditional European fairy tales (witches, castles, forests) into the story. By presenting a female protagonist, casual language, characters such as the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, and settings such as Kansas, Baum created a new approach to children s writing that is distinctly American. Before The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, children s books were stilted morality tales designed to instruct or to frighten readers into behaving properly. Baum, however, presented a thrilling adventure from a child s point of view, showing the child s ability to solve her own problems and return to the security of her home. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz received praise from critics and readers alike. Critics applauded Baum s simple storytelling, his message, and his imaginative, believable characters. Readers fell in love with the wonders of Oz and demanded more books about this enchanted land. Although the book did not win any awards during Baum s lifetime, it was given the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1968. Diablo Regional Arts Association 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 6
Name: Date: The Wizard of Oz Acrostic Directions: An acrostic is a simple poem based upon a single word. Use the words Wizard of Oz and try to find other words (or phrases), beginning with those letters. W I ICKED WITCH Z A R D O F O Z 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 7
1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 8
The Synopsis The Wizard of Oz is the story that started it all. It begins when a little Kansas farm girl, Dorothy Gale, and her dog Toto are blown away in a tornado and land in a fairyland named Oz. Here she meets a very unusual cast of characters the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion, and together they go on a quest to see the Wizard of Oz, each of them seeking what they want most in life. Making their way along the Yellow Brick Road through a series of hair-raising encounters, they arrive at the Emerald City only to be told by the Wizard that they first must kill the Wicked Witch of the West before he will grant their wishes. They eventually overcome many dangerous challenges and dispose of the witch (although quite by accident), and return only to find that the Wizard is really just a humbug. He craftily addresses everyone's wish but Dorothy's, which is to return home to Kansas. So once more Dorothy and her friends set out, this time to find the Good Witch of the South. These last adventures end happily with Dorothy and Toto returning home, thanks to something she had all along. Before Seeing the Play (Discuss Vocabulary): anxious: describes someone who feels uneasy or excessively nervous. astonished: to amaze someone cellar: a room or group of rooms below the ground level and usually under a building, often used for storing fuel, provisions, or wines cyclone: a windstorm with a violent, whirling movement; tornado or hurricane obliged: to compel by moral, legal, or physical force; constrain puzzled: to be perplexed ripples: to form or have little waves or undulating movements on the surface, as water or grass stirred by a breeze shriek: to make a loud, sharp, piercing cry or sound, as certain animals, or a person in terror, pain, or laughter; screech sparkle: to gleam or shine in flashes; glitter or glisten, as jewels, sunlit water, etc. stumbled: to trip or miss one's step in walking, running, etc tornado: a violently whirling column of air, with wind speeds of about 100 to 300 miles per hour, extending downward from a cumulonimbus cloud, esp. in Australia and the central U.S.: usually appearing as a rapidly rotating, slender, funnel-shaped cloud and typically causing great destruction along its narrow path twinkle: to shine with quick, intermittent flashes of light, as some stars; sparkle wail: to express grief or pain by long, loud cries weep: to manifest or give expression to a strong emotion, usually grief or sorrow, by crying, wailing, or, esp., shedding tears whirlwinds: a current of air whirling violently upward in a spiral motion around a more or less vertical axis that has a forward motion 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 9
Before Seeing the Play (Group Discussion) Have you ever seen live theatre before? What do you think makes a good performance? Discuss with your class the idea of life lessons. How do you define a life lesson? What sort of life lessons have they already experienced this year? (Keeping promises, being responsible, respecting guidelines and rules set for us) Discuss fairy tales. What are they and which other ones do you know? Which one is your favorite? After Seeing the Play What was your favorite scene from the play? Why does Dorothy want to be in some other place than Kansas? Do you ever feel like Dorothy did? Oz is a very beautiful and colorful world, but Dorothy still finds problems there. Do you think there is any place where there are no problems? Do you think the Scarecrow really needed a brain? The Tinman a heart? The Lion his courage? The Wizard, at the end of the play, turns out not to be a Wizard. Though he didn't have the magic powers of a wizard, do you think he helped Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion? It is interesting that Dorothy had the power to return home to Kansas anytime she wanted to but she wasn t aware of it. Do you think we often have the power to do what we want but we may not know it? Talk about values and behavior of the character: Here are some sample questions: Who are the villains in the story? Who are the hero-heroines? Why? Is there magic in this story? When does this happen and how? Are there bullies and victims in this story? Who are they? How do they change? Who is kind and generous? Who is mean and selfish? What did they do or say to make you think so? Is there a problem to be solved in the story? What is it and how is it solved or resolved? Discuss the values of the positive attributes and how to achieve them. Is there a happy ending and has anyone changed or been transformed? Who and how? Watch The Wizard of Oz-Compare and Contrast the live on stage performance vs. movie. Other Activities: Artistic Expression Using visual art supplies (i.e.: feathers, glitter, clay, colored paper, etc). Create a character that you saw coming alive on stage. Make a Scarecrow! Get old clothes and stuff them with straw. Don t forget to make a head and fill it with straw too! Create a map or diorama of the setting of the performance. Have students draw, paint or color a scene that they liked best. - 3-1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 10
Creative Dramatics Have your students re-enact scenes from the performance. First, have the students discuss specific scenes who were the characters, where did it take place, what happened? Simple masks can be made to represent the various characters. Students can act out or sing their favorite part of the performance. Have students write their own dialogue of a life lesson they learned. Act it out with a partner or group. Creative Writing Writing Prompts Write a thank you note to the sponsors and/or the performers. Write a letter to your favorite character (template attached). Write an acrostic for The Wizard of Oz (template attached). Create what you think Glinda s castle looks like and then write about it (template attached) Write your own Wizard of Oz story or draw your favorite character from the production. Write about a time when you had to use courage. (template attached). Write or tell about a dream that you can remember having that finally came true. Have students pretend they work for a newspaper and write a review of the performance. Write a sequel to The Wizard of Oz story. BIBLIOGRAPHY: The Fantasy Forum s Mission: the Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble is a non-profit organization of men and women who strive to entertain, educate and enrich families, and endeavor to present the highest form of entertainment to the young and young at heart. Internet Resources: California Content Standards: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp Children s Theater Plays http://www.childrenstheatreplays.com Dictionary: http://www.yourdictionary.com/ E-notes: http://www.enotes.com/wonderful-wizard/ Fantasy Forum: http://fantasyforum.org/productions.html#16 Wikipedia-Cinderella: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the_wonderful_wizard_of_oz 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 11
Dear (who was your favorite character?), I am (how old are you?) and am in the grade at (school name?). I came to see you on stage in The Wizard of Oz at the Lesher Theatre on (date)! I thought the play The Wizard of Oz was (how did it make you feel and why?). My favorite part of the play was (what was something that was real to you?). I really liked your character because (what was it that made you like them?). The set looked like (what did you see?). The music sounded like (what did you hear?). Something else that I really loved about the play was. I would like to come back to the Lesher Theatre and see (what is a play that you think is fun?). Love, 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 12
Name: Date: The Wizard of Oz Word Search G B T T D P A D V E N T U R E C C W E T S D E G A M U L P T N L B F C O U L O G T Z R Z X X E S I K A R D Y U Z K S C U O X D R U B Y N F Y L E C R P N S O O C T Q W H I M P E R I D L A J I U C B M Y O M I B B P A H O A O G V W M J A D P K X W A Y E S F N E N E Y T F O H R V A K W A J E T F J L E N T S P I F Y E A N M K F W I E R P T J I E H U B J N C W I S M N N P L O O S C I P Z Z S U A R O O E W G M R B P Z T P N G A Z L E D O A N E Q I S U M B C P K S W I L K M N W I F B S U N W U X O D E A H Z E Y E I V G Q C O W B I T P M W G M E E D T R L H A H I N R K F S L U F D A E R D I A G X I X P C C D H N Y N W Z G H G X X L J E N L M I E K G R T C B F R W N T E D F A Y B T K L X L E N H U X S A L A L O I C J S C X B L C T I K N P N C S N P C O B M I X O E O S A A I D O U T Z G R X X O W C S L S R A W D N G N O F N E E Y O D E T R Y T E F T M U C N A I J J P R J L O C E L O P A U L G I D T R V Z B D L Z A A P D W M D R F S L L A E K E O A T Y U Q P R O A S C H I E I A Q Y R R F F N X G I A H C D E I M N J T M O W E O T S F Z L W K S D Q U B Z I E T Q L E E Y Q S B S O S N C R O S N J H A Y F M N W S G P D C A N Z W L M N Y E M C W I T C H R I P P L E S I A Y I U Z Z O Y A Y G B G F L J H H V N U B Y ANXIOUS, ASTONISHED, BESTOW, CELLAR, COMPANION, CYCLONE, DAINTY, DREADFUL, FEASTING, MISCHIEF, PERPLEXITY, PLEADED, PLUMAGE, PUZZLED, RIPPLES, SCAMPER, STUMBLE, TWINKLE, WAIL, WEEP, WHIMPER, ADVENTURE, AUNTEM, BROOMSTICK, COURAGE, COWARDLY, LION, DOROTHY, EMERALD, CITY, GLINDA, KANSAS, MELTING, MUNCHKIN, RAINBOW, POPPIES, RUBY, SLIPPERS, SCARECROW, TINMAN, TOTO, WATER, WICKED, WITCH, OZ 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 13
Name: Date: The Wizard of Oz You saw the Wicked Witch's castle, what do you think Glinda's castle looks like? Draw it below. Write a few sentences about your castle design. 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 14
Name: Date: The Wizard of Oz Directions: Write about a time when you had to use courage. 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 15
Content Standards California Department of Education Curriculum Development Resources The Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools, Prekindergarten Through Grade Twelve, represents a strong consensus on the skills, knowledge, and abilities in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts that all students should be able to master at specific grade levels, prekindergarten through grade twelve, in California public schools. (The standards listed below are based on the existing California Visual Arts State Standards) DANCE 1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information through the Language and Skills Unique to Dance 2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Creating, Performing, and Participating in Dance 3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of Dance 4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments about Works of Dance 5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Dance to Learning in Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers MUSIC 1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information through the Language and Skills Unique to Music 2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Creating, Performing, and Participating in Music 3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of Music 4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments about Works of Music 5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Music to Learning in Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers THEATRE 1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information through the Language and Skills Unique to Theatre 2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Creating, Performing, and Participating in Theatre 3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of Theatre 4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING Responding to, Analyzing, and Critiquing Theatrical Experiences 5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Theatre, Film/Video, and Electronic Media to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 16
VISUAL ARTS 1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts 2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts 3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the Visual Arts 4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments about Works in the Visual Arts 5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in the Visual Arts to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers The CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy help build creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, and communication. They set another bold precedent to improve the academic achievement of California s students. The standards develop the foundation for creative and purposeful expression in language fulfilling California s vision that all students graduate from our public school system as lifelong learners and have the skills and knowledge necessary to be ready to assume their position in our global economy. (This study guide offers suggestions across the curriculum and is aligned with Common Core ELA Standards. For your specific K-12 grade level, please refer to CA Content Standards). About DRAA and the Arts Access School Time Program The Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA) enriches the lives of thousands of East Bay residents every year by supporting programs at Walnut Creek s Lesher Center for the Arts (LCA). Through well-established business and community partnerships, fundraising and marketing expertise, we help arts organizations present professionallevel theater, music and dance performances, visual arts exhibitions, and family events. Over the years, the Arts Access School Time Program has offered students and children in the community the opportunity to experience high-quality live performances and visual arts exhibits. These programs engage students in the artistic process, cultivating an appreciation for the arts by combining education and entertainment which together help to make the arts a vital part of our schools and community. Many of these programs offer funding for low-income schools, making the arts programs accessible to as many students as possible. Together with corporate, foundation and individual partners, the DRAA is able to make these opportunities possible. Thank you to our AASTP Sponsors The Arts Access School Time Program would not be possible without the generous support of Target - Presenting Field Trip Sponsor, Sharon Simpson - Visionary Sponsor, Wells Fargo - Education Sponsor, along with our other season sponsors including The Hewlett Foundation, The Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, and the Thomas J. Long Foundation and all the individual donors who support this program. 1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek CA 94596 925.295.1470 www.draa.org P. 17